a little inspiration

You: :Are WALKING!! :Give the biggest, sloppiest kisses.  The other night you were nursing and stopped to kiss me and then started again.  So flipping cute. :Get angry about not getting the phone as a chew toy.  For real. :Just want to walk around and around at  night and so have a hard time settling. :Are drooling like a champ. :Like to climb onto stools, low chairs, into boxes and cabinets. :Love the porch.  You want to go out warm or cold, socks or bare.  Let's just get out there! :Crawl into the toy bins to sit with your things. :Are kind of a picky eater. :Like the legos and magnaformers almost as much as Emerson. :Love Emerson.  You want to go visit him after he has gone to bed and hug and kiss him all day.  You laugh at all his jokes.  You think he is amazing.  He is very proud of his little sister. :Put your finger out to ask to hold a hand for a walk.  So sweetly. :Have just realized we have stairs you can...

I had to use the pun.  You'll forgive me, right? A few months ago I read an article about using an unexpected oil to wash your face.  Castor oil.  It talked all about how it sucks the yucky stuff out of the pores and leaves you with soft smooth skin.  It also mentioned that it can be over drying and it was good to mix it for most people with something else. I immediately thought of honey. I've been using honey off and on for a few years in my skin care regime. It has never seemed like quite enough on it's own.  I have combination skin that tends to be congested. But the last year I see that it is starting to look papery and thin.  In pictures I see an almost unrecognizable face.  I'm not still 17??? I don't fear growing older in most ways.  I don't spend much time in front of the mirror.  I do soul gazing, not skin gazing.  That said, I am human and so seeing the age on my face so obvious in the last year has been hard. ...

Proof of walking.  Look at her go.  I tried to get it the other way but of course she wanted to eat the phone and not walk when I tried.  So, turn your monitor or your head.  Enjoy!

Recently I realized I have only this one body, this one self to last me through all the days of my life.  It dawned on me that I haven't been honoring it.  I am ready to change.  One of the biggest things as moms we let go is self care.  Everyone and everything gets placed on the list before us.  The "parenting experts" give lip service to the idea of a mother taking care of herself first while adding 17 more items to your list to feel bad about not accomplishing properly.  I see this in myself and in the mothers I meet (and the fathers often too, but I don't walk in their shoes!)  Over the next few weeks I am going to share some simple things I've been doing for myself and I hope you'll share some things with me.  I think Tuesdays are a good day for them.  We've all survived Monday and might need a little pick me up to get through the week ahead. I'm excited to start this. I'll see you Tuesday! Until soon-

Oh, my!  The weather, people, the weather!  Schools here are starting Saturday make up days now.  You know it has been crazy. Yesterday we were able to go outside and enjoy the not-so-freezing and not-much-snow-left super dirty muddiness.  Where it is actually pleasant to feel the things around you with your hands and with a few extra layers even a little little can crawl around without needing bread bags taped over her legs.  (I kid you not.) Emerson dug around a little and you could see under the leaves and dirt the plants are almost ready to start growing.  You could see the moss starting to fuzz up.  I am trying not to rush through, but you know, Spring is so much more alluring than the mud and snow.  And with a baby on the cusp of toddler-hood I know she'll be so excited to be down on the ground more. She is at the very-nearly-walking phase where you often turn around to find them taking a few steps surreptitiously.   An...

Happy day to all of you!  I hope you are enjoying your snow or sunshine, each other or appreciating your time alone and loving yourself just as much.  Thank you for visiting me here! PS- This is what it looked like last year!!

I finally have a phone modern enough for instagram.  You can find my link in the side bar, but I need friends!!  Let me know if you have an account so I can follow you.  I love to see what everyone is up to!

I finished the arm warmer a few days ago.  It looks lovely, no glaring errors.  Except it is about the right size for Emerson...  Whoops.  I didn't check my gauge.  I didn't check it because with crochet I have never had an issue.  And also, because I am lazy.  And also it really didn't cross my mind that I could get that far off with the right sized needles for it to matter.  So anyway, apparently I hold too much tension on the yarn.  I can't imagine where it comes from... Hmmff! So, I've started something a little more forgiving in terms of gauge with a larger sized needle than recommended and making a big effort to hold the yarn loosely.  It is this beauty .  I'm excited that I decided to look up the crazy stitch abbreviation because the whole thing is super simple to to even though it looked intimidating to me.  Hopefully it will fit over my head in the end. ;)